Lian's Story
by XxNightfirexX
Summary: I thought Lian needed a story of her own, so this came along! Goes through everything from Roy meeting Jade to Lian in her mid-teenage years. Basically Lian can't decide who she is and who she wants to be. NOT A ONESHOT! GASP! Could it be? SpeedyxCheshire
1. Chapter 1

I thought that Lian deserved her own fic, so I wrote one for her

**I thought that Lian deserved her own fic, so I wrote one for her! I mean, come one, she's really, **_**really **_**cool.**

**On a completely unrelated note, I saw a bank called BB&T, which reminded me a Beast Boy and terra, even though I don't support them. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.**

**BTW, this does not take place in the TAOMG, WLGYLMGJ, or any other universes I've created. It's a little story in itself.**

**X**

Hi. My name is Lian Harper. You may have heard of me before, I'm the daughter of Roy Harper and Jade Nguyen. I'm the girl that everyone tends to stay away from, simply because no one knows what side I'll take in life. Some have claimed that I have always been stained by darkness, and will forever be so. Some argue that because I was raised by everything that is good, that I'll always be a hero. Still others declare that I am in the gray area, and that I am one move away from choosing my destiny. Sort of like I've reached a fork in the road.

What do I think? I don't know, honestly. I used to be sure that I was a hero, and that I always would be, but that was before I learned about myself. It was before I knew about my past. When I learned of it, I was sure that I truly was stained. Then, however, people began to make assumptions about me, claiming I was one or the other. Eventually, I went ahead and let the people decide, for it seemed as if I had no say in the matter.

Right now, I'm looking down. I see her pale face in the moonlight, and I wonder what happened. My best friend is dead, and I don't know why. I remember going to the movies with her earlier today, and seeing her smiling face. I remember how she told me that she was sure that someone was following her. I had laughed when she said that. Sometimes it was hard to take her seriously.

We were walking home together, when I heard something. I told her that she should keep walking, and never look back. I ran off to change into my uniform, which was exactly like my mother's was. The only difference being that it was red and yellow, instead of green and white. When I returned, however, well I'm not entirely sure. Everything from that moment until this one is a blur.

The sad part is that this is not the first time this has happened. It is not the first time that my very presence has put another life in danger. I have seen this before; I have faced death more than once. I would say it comes with the job, but it doesn't. The appropriate phrase would be that it comes with being Lian Harper. Not only is it hard to bear the pain, but the simple fact that everyone believes that it doesn't exist is awful. Some think that just because I wear a smiling cat mask means that I'm immune to everything but joy. I should know.

My father is one of the best superheroes that has ever walked the face of this Earth. He is strong and brave. When worst came to worst, he knew exactly what to do. I admire him more than any other being in the world.

Then, there is my mother. She was never considered a hero. Not once. She stole from people and she broke nearly every law that there ever was. Not only that, but she was a deadly assassin. She had long claws attached to her wrists that she dipped in poison, and it was no surprise that she was almost directly under Deathstroke the Terminator on the list of deadliest human beings. When I was two years old, she received the death sentence.

If it weren't for every one I know, and even some I don't, debating on it for me, I would be in the middle with a war with myself over who I should be. My father seemed to be the only one who ever gave me a choice, but I know that he would be very disappointed if I did not choose the side of good.

Looking down at her once more, I check her pulse just to make sure that there was nothing that could be done. See as there was no response to anything, I decided it would be best to go ahead and not call the ambulance. It would cost way too much for them to come out and tell me what I already know.

I kneel down beside her, and push some hair out of her face. I have already called her parents, and I am now just waiting for their arrival. A silent tear rolls down my face, and I can feel my lip trembling as I close my eyes and turn away, not wanting to see her in the condition she is in. I put her jacket on top of her like a blanket, and stand up. My fists clench a little, and I swiftly turn to see someone who had been watching the entire time.

I turned to him, and I told him something that I'm sure he'll never forget. But, before you know what I said, I'll have to go back and tell you everything. From the very beginning. If I don't, then you won't understand.

My tale starts with a young man named Roy Harper, who was getting ready to go on the most life-changing mission of his entire life.

**So there you go. I promise that it won't be written in first person anymore, okay? It's going to go along like a regular story would in third person.**

**So, yeah. I know you've already read, so please review! Even if your review doesn't make any sense in the least, I just want to know who read it.**

**Even if all you say is "Apple Pie" or "Donut," I still want to get your review!**

**XxNightfirexX**


	2. Chapter 2

Here is Chapter 2

**SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I tried to make it up to you with this chapter...but...**

**Here is Chapter 2. Now, just so you know, I do read comics. However, I decided to not write this word-for-word, so this fic is kind of my take on what happened. Sort of like how Cheshire didn't really die when Lian was two, but it's essential to this story, so yeah. Also, I wanted to show off my knew-found knowledge of what AM and PM means, so I hid one of the two in the story. If you find what it stands for, tell me in a review and you get a prize!**

**Also, I'm sorry that I was not able to reply to everyone's reviews. The reason chapter One was so short was because I didn't want to give everything away.**

**BTW, this is told in third person.**

**One last thing: I made a reference to you, Seraephina!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.**

**X**

_Now I've heard there was a secret chord  
That David played, and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do you?  
It goes like this  
The fourth, the fifth  
The minor fall, the major lift  
The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah  
Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_-Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen_

"Alright then, ready to go? Good! See you in two months, bye!" She yelled after him, hastily closing the door. He sat on the ground, rubbing his back from where she had forced him out of the Tower.

"Ow, that hurt! You'd think she wanted me out of the house!" Speedy looked down at his suitcase and picked it up. Suddenly, he groaned. "Aw man, I forgot my-" He was cut off by Bumblebee opening the door and handing him some money.

"Here is forty dollars. Replace whatever it was that you forgot," With that, the door slammed shut again.

"Okay than. I was going to say that I forgot my bumper sticker that says, 'Go Speedy!' on it, but I don't drive a car anyway, so I guess I don't need it. Oh well, free money for me!" He said, smiling idiotically and hoping that she hadn't heard him. He didn't really want to give the money back.

He strolled over to his motorcycle and, after securing his suitcase with some rope and a few pieces of duct tape, sped away.

Speedy had been honored with being chosen for one of the most important missions in the world. His job was to go undercover as a villain named Arsenal and seek the trust of the infamous assassin Cheshire. He had faced her before when he was fighting the Brotherhood of Evil, but she had escaped when everyone else was busy freezing the other villains.

It had seemed easy enough, for he was a very skilled archer. He was quick on his feet and could string a bow faster than anyone you'll ever meet. Nothing was going to get in the way of being famous. He was positive.

It had taken him almost a month to find her, but after all of that time, he finally arrived at his destination-Paris. The City of Lights truly did live up to its name, with all sorts of bright signs and street lamps illuminating the entire city. He had to somewhat question why she had picked to stay in France, but he had assumed it was some manner of reverse-reverse psychology. Since all of the villains had left Paris, maybe she had stayed, thinking that no one would look for her there.

Either that or she was on an assassination mission, but he put that thought out of his mind.

He arrived at an apartment complex. An apartment had been generously provided for him, seeing as he was going to help rid the world of and infamous assassin. He was tired from the long travel he had just endured; he had rode to an airport, flew on a plane, had to wait five hours because the plane lost his suitcase, and finally drive his motorcycle halfway across the biggest city he'd ever been in.

He un-duct taped his suitcase, and dragged it up four flights of stairs, not even noticing the elevator. He pulled out his key, and opened the door to the room, barely having time to close it again before he fell over in exhaustion.

**X**

Earlier that same day, a young woman named Jade bustled through the city, carefully avoiding pedestrians and bystanders. She carried a large portfolio, as well as an outdated cell phone that still seemed to do the job. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but a few hairs fell out of place and landed in her face. She had been working all day undercover, and because of how she was raised and the people who raised her, she had become paranoid, thinking that everyone was out to get her. As a result, whenever she got home before dark, she would carry around a large bundle of items that had absolutely no meaning to her whatsoever, but seemed to give off the impression that she was a middle class woman with a good, well-paying job.

She reached her apartment building, struggling to keep hold of her packages, and found a key hidden in the bottom of her shoe. She had not had time to change clothes today, so she adorned a long, brown overcoat covering her outfit. Sure, that was not the safest thing for an assassin to do in plain sight, but then again, what she was carrying must have weighed a thousand pounds, and any one who tried to capture a glimpse of the white and green suit would need x-ray vision or super-strength.

She slipped the key into the keyhole and silently slipped into her room. After she dropped her large bundle onto the floor, she locked the door and sank down onto her couch, too tired to even think about being hungry, let alone cook something for herself. Normally she would have reviewed the day, worked on what skills she had to master, and contacted her several clients to see if they might have a job coming up for her in the near future. However, she could only muster up enough strength to roll over on the couch and drift off to sleep.

**X**

The next morning, Speedy, or, should I say, Roy Harper, woke up feeling terrible. Sleeping on the floor was not only bad for his back, but wasn't very clean, either. The floor looked as if it hadn't been vacuumed in days. He would have to talk to the landlord about that. In the meantime, he would just borrow a vacuum from one of his neighbors. He got dressed, and, after yelling at himself for not removing his mask earlier in case someone was spying on him, opened his door and walked over a few feet to the next one. The room read **932 **in bold letters. Seeing as there were only about seventeen rooms in the entire apartment, he had begun to wonder why her room wasn't number 14 or 15 when an old man, probably in his eighties, walked by.

"Listen to me, sonny," his voice shook a little and he seemed to be out of breath, "There is a girl who lives behind that very door, and she is nothing but bad news. I done seen it with my very eyes! She's a cat-woman!" he flailed his arms above his head, before suddenly stopping. His eyes grew wide, and he began to shiver, pointing at the door. Roy turned and looked at it. However, nothing had changed about it. It was just an ordinary, incorrectly numbered door. He turned back to the old man, who was suddenly back to normal. Well, however normal that guy could get.

"You know," he said, smiling, "I used to be a pretty good swimmer. In fact, one time, I swam so deep that I found Spongebob Squarepants, and we all went to the Krusty Krab and had Krabby Patties!" he exclaimed. Roy looked down the hallway both ways, trying to find someone who was pulling some sort of prank on him. When he found no one, he turned to the old man.

"Are you okay?" He asked. The man looked around furiously.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" He asked, rubbing his head, "I think I'm losing my mind." He turned around and left, not hearing Roy mumble the words _'no kidding' _under his breath.

He turned and knocked on the door. However, whoever lived there must not have been home at the time. He sighed and went back to his apartment, gathering the things he needed to search for Cheshire. Right as he was about to leave, he remembered what that crazy old man had said about a cat lady living next door to him. That could have meant one of three things. A. The guy was crazy, B. The lady next door to him loved cats and owned way too many of them, or C. He got lucky and lived next door to Cheshire. Sure, you would have t be crazier than the old guy to believe anything that he said, but it was convincing enough to take the day off and have a look around town.

**X**

Her alarm clock blared. She reached out towards it, trying to find the snooze alarm, but accidentally turned the alarm itself off. She sighed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. As usual, it was four ante-meridium, and she was beginning to think that it was _way _too early of a time to get up _every single morning_, but she did it anyway. She stood and stretched, looking down at her uniform. She grimaced; it smelled horrible, but she didn't have time to wash it today. Besides, the only thing she had on her agenda for the day was to meet up with a client and discuss what she was to be doing for the next month of her life.

Secretly, she wished for a career change, but there was so much anger and so much to fuel her hatred, that she couldn't help but take it all out on those who had hurt her, and those lucky people happened to be every single member of society.

They were the rich mothers taking their children to high class schools and buying them whatever they wanted.

They were the fathers that came home every day at five post-meridium with bags of jellybeans for their young children.

They were even the grandmothers who sat on their porch, day after day, and knitted socks and underwear and scarves and little booties for grandchildren who were in their teenage years and hats and mittens and stuffed animals and dresses and the list could go on and on.

There was only one person she would not take her anger out on, and she had not met that person yet. All she wanted was one person who could convince her that she was more than all of this, which deep down she knew she was. Just one person on her side, doing things for her that would not harm her in any way, would make her happy. Someone who, after all she and done, and all she had gone through, who would care.

She feared that she would never find that person.

**Once again, sorry for the long wait, and sorry if it got a little sappy or rushed. **

**Also, just to re-announce it, if you are the first person to tell me what AM and PM stand for in your review, then you get a prize! The best part it that not only are they conveniently in this chapter, but it might mean me updating faster if you review!**

**XxNightfirexX **


	3. Chapter 3

And now it's time for another episode of

**And now it's time for another episode of...**

**WHERE WERE YOU?! This program is sponsored by peanut butter. Mmmmm...peanuts...**

**(See Carl the genie for the answer. Included in author's note)**

**Also, as for Red meaning dead, our tour guide in England told us that little fact.**

**One more thing, though. I am regarding my absence as one of pure business. Now that I have been to Paris, I can now write the part better!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. I do not own any peanut butter companies, but I do have a jar of peanut butter in my pantry. **

**X**

_Your faith was strong but you needed proof  
You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you  
She tied you  
To a kitchen chair  
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair  
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah_

_-Verse 2 of 'Hallelujah' by Leonard Cohen_

Now that he thought about it, maybe he _should _have taken French lessons when the rest of the Titans did. But no, he hadn't seen it as very important and, while the rest were in disguises in classes throughout the world, he had to be the one Titan who decided to skip class and buy a canary.

"Stupid canary ate fish boy's stupid fish and fish boy killed the stupid canary three days later anyway," he grumbled, trying to figure out which way was North on the map. He turned it around a few times before locating the compass rose. "Sweet! Maybe I don't need to know French after all! Now, if this is North, than all I need to do is…...alright, am I facing North or South now?" he groaned. This was not working well...at all. "Okay, I'll just ask someone for directions! Yeah, there's no way this could go wrong," He mumbled the last part under his breath. He saw a man in a white outfit standing outside of a butcher's, or what he was pretty sure was, shop. He walked over to the man, carefully trying not to look at the shop window next to him. The way the light shone on the glass made it reflect whatever passed by, sort of like a mirror. Now, while Roy usually had no problem looking at his devishly handsome self, he had gotten sunburned the day before and didn't want to see it.

"Uh, excuse me, do you know English?" he asked nervously. The butcher looked at him like he was an alien.

"_Un sot trouve toujours un plus sot qui l'admire," _he told him. Roy looked around.

"Are you talking to me?" he asked. The butcher gave him a confused look and repeated what he had said before.

"_Un sot trouve toujours un plus sot qui l'admire," _he told him.

"What does that mean?" Roy tried asking again.

"It means that even a fool can always find a bigger fool to admire him. At least, that is how it best translates into English," A voice from behind him stated. He turned to meet two bright green eyes staring at him.

"Uh, who are you?" he asked the girl standing before him. She had raven hair and, as previously stated, jade colored eyes. She was wearing a long, brown overcoat, as well as holding several large packages.

"Normally," she began, "A man introduces himself before he asks a woman's name." She rolled her eyes as he sheepishly grinned.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. My name is Roy Harper. I'm from Steel City," She raised an eyebrow, "Oh! Right, that's on the East Coast of America," he explained.

"Very well," she sighed, "My name is Jade Nguyen. Is there something you want from me? If not, then will you kindly step to the side? This walkway is only big enough for one of us, and I have places to be." She told him in a sharp tone.

"Yes, actually," he began, "I need to know where I am on this map, and which way I am facing. Do you think you can tell me?" he pleaded. She rolled her eyes and took the map from him.

"Here," she pointed, "You are facing east at the moment. I thought that even an American could figure that one out." After explaining to him where he was and where most of the English speakers were, she pushed past him. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about her made him want to follow her. So, he did.

There are times in our lives when we will look back at our past and remember the moment, or moments, that changed our life forever. Most people think that these particulars memories, when occurring as a present situation, are times when you know that whatever you do, your life will be changed for good. But the truth of the matter is, that most of the time there is no way to tell if what you do now will affect your future.

Say, for instance, that you think walking across your yard one afternoon will not change your life. However, halfway through, your trip and land on the ground, breaking your left leg. Then, as you struggle to get up, you notice what you tripped over, dig it out, and find that it is actually a dinosaur bone that makes you famous.

So, how was Roy supposed to know that following this irritated girl would change his life forever? All he had been planning to do was see if he could get through the day without one of the two of them murdering each other.

"Hey, Jade, wait up!" He called after her. She turned and groaned when she found that he was still there. He had been following her around for the past two hours. She had tried to lose him in the city, for she had places to be where she would rather be alone, but he was incredibly, annoyingly persistent.

"What do you want from me?" She gave up.

"I wanted to know if I could tag along for the day. You know, see the sights, live like a French person, have a great time! And not only that, but with a pretty girl like you," She tried snapping at him, which was what she would have done had he not said that last statement. However angry she did sound was betrayed by the light pink tint on her cheeks.

"First of all," she started, "You should have asked first. Second, I've got things to do. I can't babysit you all day. Besides, I'm sure you can go find another girl who is a thousand times more good looking than I am and she'll love having you around," she told him, beginning to walk off again.

"Yeah, but all that they will speak is French. Kinda hard to communicate, you know? I saw some earlier, though. Not too bright if you ask me. I'd rather hang out with a girl who knows what she's doing," He replied simply.

"Look, I have to go to work, and-" she started. She didn't know why, but her face seemed to feel a little warmer than usual.

"When was the last time you took a day off?" He asked her, finally catching up beside her. They walked to the corner, where he saw a traffic sign. It was like the ones they had in America, with the person crossing the street and the hand signaling to either hurry up or cease your walking completely. Thankfully, he vaguely remembered Robin telling him that in France, unlike in America, people didn't stop and let your finish your walking. The little green man meant go, and the red guy meant you were in trouble. In other words, green meant go and red meant dead.

"I don't know, a while back I suppose," she admitted.

"Why not take the day off?" He asked her.

"Well, I kind of need the money. Living in Paris isn't exactly free, you know," Roy shrugged.

"What is one day going to do? Come one, just call in sick and enjoy the day," he told her.

It was at that moment that Jade realized that she truly hated the boy in front of her. Her hatred for him had no limit, and extended to the end of the Earth. Her newfound feeling had no words strong enough to describe it. And the reason she hated him so much?

Well, simply put, she found herself calling her latest boss and telling him that she was taking the day off for some training and would be a day late. It was something about those dancing blue eyes, or maybe it was the wind blowing through his now unkept hair, or it could have been that ridiculous smile he was always wearing, or even the numerous freckles that his new hilarious new sunburn brought out. Whatever it was, it had made her do what she thought she would never do; she decided to have fun.

**X**

**Hopefully that with hold you over until more ideas flow into my mind. Remember that this story covers a lot of material, and could last a long while. I mean, come on, the main character isn't even born yet! XD**

**XxNightfirexX**

**Reviews are graciously appreciated. In fact, the first three people to review will be given the amazing reward of telling me one thing that Jade and Roy do on their sightseeing day, be it eating at a café and getting banned from it because Roy tried to juggled glasses and failed, or just sitting quietly on the beach, whatever you suggest it will be in this fic! Some restrictions apply.**

**Restrictions: They aren't dating yet, so no kissing or anything. Also, this coupon cannot be used with three fourths of the store's materials. You cannot buy a sofa with this coupon. (Don't you just hate those coupons that restrict everything?)**


	4. Chapter 4

It seems as though I finally got three reviews for this story, so I shall continue now

**It seems as though I finally got three reviews for this story, so I shall continue now! .! **

**I really thought that more people would review that, but I suppose that it is the price I pay for leaving unexpectedly for several months and randomly coming back!**

**Oh! By the way, I have now enabled anonymous reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.**

**BIG NEWS! (Almost forgot about it, it was so big!) I've always wondered how you pronounce "Nguyen." Well, here is how I found out. Note: Mr. Bucsko is our Spanish teacher that never teaches Spanish, but enjoys teaching the origin of words instead.**

**Me: (Half asleep) Mr. Bucsko just keeps going on and on and on and on... **

**Mr. Bucsko: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...**

**Me: I suppose I should pay attention before he realizes that I've been daydreaming throughout all of the class...**

**Mr. Bucsko: There are lots of common names everywhere. (Duh!) You may not know it, but English actually has 12 vowels. That's right, 12. You just pronounce them differently. Here, take this common surname from the Middle East. (Writes name on board) **

**Me: That...it can't...it can't be!**

**Mr. Bucsko: See, "Nguyen isn't pronounced with a G like you might think. It's pronounced like this: Na-you-en. **

**(Rest of class wonders how this relates to the English language having 12 vowels)**

**Me: Jenny! (Has a spazz attack from finally learning, after so many years)**

**Jenny: (Raises eyebrow) You don't get out much, do you?**

**X**

_Baby I have been here before  
I know this room, I've walked this floor  
I used to live alone before I knew you.  
I've seen your flag on the marble arch  
Love is not a victory march  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

_-3rd verse of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen_

"Alright, since you're so eager, where do you want to go?" Jade turned to him, after just getting off the phone with an angry boss. Roy shrugged.

"I don't know. You're the one who lives here, right? Why don't you tell me where we go first? You'll be like a tour guide!" Jade was beginning to regret listening to him about taking the day off.

"Well, I suppose we could-" He didn't let her finish.

"The Eiffel Tower! Let's climb up the Eiffel Tower!" He shouted. He acted as though he was a four year old waking up at six in the morning to find Santa Clause eating the cookies he had baked for him.

"Are you sure? It's a long walk from here to there. It may take a few hours. Plus, if we go, I'll have to stop home and...uh...change into Eiffel Tower climbing clothes," she lied. The briefcases and envelopes that she was carrying began to feel heavier, and for the first time, Roy noticed that she was holding them.

"Here, let me take those for you," he offered, trying to take them away from her.

"No, that's alright, they aren't that heavy," she felt as if she was just spewing out lies. Her only justification was the fact that you wouldn't tell some random person you just met off the street that you were a deadly assassin, especially if this random person was the only one who could ever make her do anything by simply asking you to do so.

"But it wouldn't be very polite to let you carry those, and I refuse to allow you to go on carrying them when I am here," he told her. Jade stopped completely and looked him up and down.

"So, do you just pretend to be a jerk to strangers, or are you just hitting on me?" She asked, suspicious of his intentions. He shrugged.

"Could be both," he answered calmly, "But seriously, let me carry those." It wasn't an offer that he was going to allow to be declined. Before she knew it, he had taken the load out of her arm, which were now exhausted, and was walking down the street with them.

"Come on; let's go to the Eiffel Tower!" He shouted, acting normally again. Jade smirked.

"You're going the wrong way," she stated, turning in the right direction. From behind her, she could hear him turning around and walking towards her.

"I knew that, I was just testing you," He lied. She stopped and looked at him.

"That is the most overused excuse you could possibly use," she told him. He shook his head.

"No, the most overused excuse I could possibly think of is 'My dog ate my homework,' but I suppose that it really doesn't apply right now," he replied. Then it happened. For the first time in years, Jade began to laugh. Roy was shocked; he didn't think she was capable of laughing.

"You're...laughing?" she choked. She continued, shaking her head.

"You're just...the sunburn, and all of that stuff you're carrying, and your terrible sense of direction..." she began to catch her breath, "You're just...hopeless!"

"You know," Roy began, "You're really pretty when you smile."

Jade froze. Her face, which had never before betrayed her, (Which was somewhat important to avoid during battle) began to turn a light pink. In a desperate attempt to hide this newfound weakness, she turned around and began to march off.

"Oh, what do you know?!" She stormed down the sidewalk, before turning back to face Roy. "Well, are you coming or what?"

Roy, on the other hand, was still in his own state of shock. Her voice, however, brought him back to reality.

"Women..." he muttered under his breath, "You can never win with them."

**X **

**United States of America-Steel City**

"He's gone, he's gone, he's finally GONE!" She shouted, albeit a little too excited for Roy's absence.

"No more grumpy red heads, no more fish tacos," In the background, Aqualad shouted something along the lines of 'See? I'm not the only one who hates fish tacos!' "And no more having to listen to hair-boy and his rude comments!"

Karen had been celebrating, nonstop, since the moment she saw Roy leave on his bike. She was till a little aggravated due to losing 40 dollars, but if it kept 'hair-boy' away, then she would give up her life savings to him.

Her party had been a bit extreme, causing Mas y Menos to work day and night to just keep the Tower decent. Aqualad would have helped, too, but he was busy remodeling 'fish-murderer's' bedroom to look like a giant fish tank.

It was no wonder that they never noticed the message that Robin had sent them to forward to Roy.

**X**

**Paris, France**

"What's your favorite color? Mine is red. Well, actually, I really like yellow, too. So I guess I have two favorite colors. What is your favorite color?" he asked. They had walked for nearly an hour now, and Roy had been shooting questions at her faster than he could shoot an arrow.

"Uh, green and white," she mumbled. She was only tolerating him because, if she lost him, then how would she find him again once his slow and painful death was decided?

"Really? Why do you choose those colors?" he asked her.

"Because I do," she replied. She had to find some way out of this. Her eyes began to dart around, looking for some excuse. All she saw was a designer boutique, a park, a church, and...perfect.

"Hey, Roy? Why don't we stop at that café?" she offered, "We'll need our strength if we want to climb the Eiffel Tower." _Or, should I say, if I want to effectively escape without you noticing._

"Alright, sure, if you want to go," he shrugged. They crossed the street and entered the small, almost normal looking building. However, Jade, who had been here-surprisingly-several times before, knew it wasn't just your average café.

"Une table pour deux, s'il vous plait," she spoke to the man. He nodded. Roy hoped that she wasn't saying something bad about him. Stupid Canary. Stupid French lessons.

The two sat down at a table in another room, just as a man walked up onto a stage near them. He began to speak, although Roy could not understand. Jade listened for a while, before deciding that she was going to stick around instead of quietly sneaking away.

"Hey, Roy?" she asked him. She wore the most innocent look on her face. "I never got the chance to ask you a question. May I?"

"Of course," he responded. _Wow, a smile, a laugh...now she wants to know more about me! Score!_

"When I was little, I used to hate this one song, I can't even remember the name now, but it seemed to always be on the radio. In fact, I hated it so much that I actually learned the lyrics and could sing it right now if I wanted to. Have you ever had an experience like that?" She asked him.

"Actually, yeah. There is this one song that I know all the lyrics to, but absolutely can't stand it. I could also sing it now, but I suck at singing. I think it was called 'Bennie and the Jets,'" he told her.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, why did you want me to tell you that?"

The man on the stage spoke once more. "Volontaires?" he asked.

"This is a karaoke café," she responded, and evil look dancing across her face. She jumped up, and pointed to Roy. "Par ici!" She shouted. The man turned to her.

"Qu'est-ce que la chanson?" He asked her.

"Bennie and the Jets!" she shouted. Roy looked horrified.

"Wha...what?!" he cried as she pushed him onto the stage. "I'm not singing!"

"Yes you are; you know all of the words, don't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not singing. There's nothing you can do to change my-" Jade had just about had enough of his whining, and she really wanted to see him make a fool of himself, too. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

If not for his face already covered in red, due to that oh-so-pleasant sunburn of his, then most people would have mistaken him for a tomato.

"Please? For me?" she asked him, loving every minute of it. She didn't have to ask twice.

"Start the music!" Of course, no one understood English, but with a wave of her hand the man from before started the music.

Suddenly he wasn't so sure about this. Everyone was staring at him…...one person had a camera.

_What if he posts it on the internet and Robin finds it? What will birdboy do then? Wait...why would he be looking for something like that? I'm just overreacting...but what abut Beast Boy! He'll show it to Birdboy! _

And then he suddenly found himself singing.

_Hey kids, shake it loose together  
The spotlight's hitting something  
That's been known to change the weather  
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight  
So stick around  
You're gonna hear electric music  
Solid walls of sound_

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet  
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets  
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful  
Oh Bennie she's really keen  
She's got electric boots a mohair suit  
You know I read it in a magazine  
Bennie and the Jets

Hey kids, plug into the faithless  
Maybe they're blinded  
But Bennie makes them ageless  
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along  
Where we fight our parents out in the streets  
To find who's right and who's wrong

The song faded, as did his dignity. He stepped off of the stage, and glared at the man with the camera. He apparently spoke English, and was saying something about uploading the video to the internet.

"Are you happy?" he asked Jade, frowning.

"Hopeless...completely hopeless," laughed once more. This time, however, he chose to not say anything and just laughed along.

**X**

**Jump City, California**

"Hey, Robin?" Raven asked the masked teenager.

"Yeah, Raven?" he looked up fro, his newspaper.

"Are you sure that sending Speedy to France to look for Cheshire was a good idea? He's the type of guy who I would picture goofing off in Paris rather than researching all day. Why did you pick him?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, he's the only one of us who wouldn't look suspicious. I mean, I'm famous whether or not I'm wearing a mask, Beast Boy is green, Cyborg is a cyborg, you're just a little lacking on your people skills, and everyone at Titans east, excluding Speedy, is either a kid, half fish, or would shop all day instead of working," he replied, covering his face with the newspaper once more.

"You forgot Starfire."

Silence.

"Oh, you just don't want her learning the language, do you?" A glare shot up from the top of the paper.

**X**

"Well, here we are; the Eiffel Tower. Ready?" She asked. Jade had just bought the tickets to go up to the top of the tower. Suddenly it occurred to her that Roy wasn't around. "Roy?"

"Jeez, what do you keep in these?" Roy came up from behind her, panting heavily due to carrying her stuff around all day. "Rocks?"

"Rocks? No," she shook her head. _I only have those to make me less suspicious when I walk around. When I go into battle, I can't just have them lying on the ground with valuable items! Of course I keep rocks in those. What are my other choices?_

"Well, I'm ready to go," Roy said, walking over to the stairs. Jade followed behind.

"You sure that you don't want to take the elevator? It might be easier," she stated. He refused.

"Nope, I'm going to walk because I'm a man and men don't take the elevator," he responded. She rolled her eyes at him. Turning, she took off up the stairs.

**-Several hours later-**

"I'm (pant) finally...(pant) here...(pant)," Roy pulled himself up the last step. Jade turned from where she was standing. It was night at this point, and the moonlight shone on her hair perfectly.

"Hey Roy?" she called, "You know how there are three floors on the Eiffel Tower, the third being the highest?" she asked him. He nodded.

"We're on the first."

**X**

**-One hour later-**

"Well, I guess I should get going, huh?" Jade asked. Roy stood up from the park bench he had been resting on.

"Yeah...do you want me to walk you home?" he asked. She declined.

"No, but thank you anyway. So, uh, nice meeting you," she held out her hand for him to shake. He did the same.

She took the rock filled briefcase and envelopes from him, and began to walk away. After a minute or so, she realized that he was following her.

"Uh, I said I didn't need you to walk me home," she told him.

"Oh, well, my apartment is this way, too," he told her. They walked in silence before she finally stopped.

"I have to go see a friend tonight. My stop is here," she stood at a street corner. He said goodbye and he left her for his room.

**-One more hour later-**

"Hmmm...this place is still really dusty and dirty. It's not too late. I'll ask my neighbor if I can borrow their vacuum. He strolled out of his room and knocked on the door of room 932. The door opened slowly after a few seconds.

"Hey, can I borrow your vacuum cleaner?" It was then that the two noticed who they were look at.

"What are you doing here?!" Jade nearly hissed at him. She had only gone to her friend's house, which was really a bakery, because she had the feeling that he was stalking her. She had left as she determined it was safe, and had only arrived a few minutes before.

"I wanted to borrow your vacuum," he stated, clueless as ever.

"No, I mean, why are you-"

"YOU'RE THE CAT LADY!" He gasped. She jumped back a little.

"What?!" she exclaimed.

"An old man told me that you were a cat lady. So, how many cats do you have?" he asked her.

"Why are you here?" she questioned him.

"I live next door," he pointed to his apartment.

Jade could've cried.

**X**

**A special thanks to Seraephina, Somewhere In Time, and waves2622 for your ideas, and congratulations on being the first three reviewers!**

**Please Review!**

**XxNightfirexX**


	5. Chapter 5

**I promised that I would upload this within a week of my 100****th**** review on Grapefruit Juice. Well, nearly three months later, I have decided to put this up. Your special reviewer's surprise, Dawmist11, will be the update of Grapefruit Juice as well as this one.**

**I do not own Teen titans, but I think everyone knows that by now!**

**X**

_There was a time you let me know  
What's really going on below  
But now you never show it to me, do you?  
And remember when I moved in you  
The holy dove was moving too  
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah_

_Verse 4 of Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen_

Roy tossed and turned in his sleep. It was about four in the morning, and all of his blankets had fallen to the floor. He had begun to sweat, and he started to say things like "no!" in his sleep. He was dreaming, no, having a vivid nightmare.

_Flames rose higher and higher, and his father disappeared along with them. The village people came running. They were trying to take him away. But his father! Wait! He couldn't leave without him! How had this started? His father wasn't dumb; he could have seen and prevented a forest fire. It had to be arson. It had to be! Wait, wait! Don't leave without him!_

Roy shot up. He had been hyperventilating, which led him to finally awake from the horror that he had once seen with his very own eyes. Who said dreams aren't real? Who said _nightmares_ aren't real?

But it was over now, and there was little doubt that he wouldn't be able to sleep. Maybe if he just splashed some water on his face…..

He arose from the couch that he had been sleeping on, and slowly walked over to the bathroom. He splashed some water one his face, and looked up at the mirror.

He had had this nightmare every night for the past week. He hadn't slept much,, and as a result, his eyes had dark bags under them. He could only hope that he wasn't waking Jade up; she seemed to work so hard that he would feel terrible if he made her lose sleep just because she was unlucky enough to live next to him.

On second thought, any girl living next to Roy _was _pretty lucky, he figured. There wasn't one girl that he had met that wasn't magnetically drawn to him, if you don't count the Titan women. And even some of them…..

Well, in any case, he wasn't going to get much sleep, so he should probably be working on how he was going to gain Cheshire's trust.

X

Jade sat on her bed. She could hear the occupant of the room next to her moving around violently. On the first night, she had been worried that maybe a foe of hers had tracked her down and attacked him by accident, but had concluded that he would have been making much more noise had that been the case.

In a way, she found herself hoping that he was all right; but then again, why did she care? She wasn't falling for him; that was for sure. But he sounded so troubled at night. It had to be a nightmare, and she was no stranger to that. In fact, her life seemed to be a living nightmare, 24/7, from the day she was born and probably until the day she would die.

Well, there was no use to stay on that topic anymore, so as soon as she heard the water running next door, she quietly got up and walked over to her computer to see if she had any new clients or requests. One email popped up. It was from a regular client of hers. He didn't pay nearly as much as political clients, but the business he brought her kept her alive and paid for her food.

This request was a little odd. Usually her clients would only show themselves if absolutely necessary, but here he was requesting that she met up with him that morning at an old café near the Eiffel tower.

Well, she didn't really feel like walking all the way back there again, but if it kept her mind off of a certain red head next door, then she supposed it could work. Now, however, she had to sleep.

X

Roy sat back down on the couch with his laptop, looking over all of the information that the Titan database had to offer on the feline foe. There wasn't much on there that he didn't already know, and even the few facts that he was unaware of were things like "Was seen standing near Killer Moth. Possible partnership?" He had a feeling that not only was that just a rumor written down to take up some space, but that he would one day be the one filling out all of the information on the villainess.

But there was only one problem; he had no leads on the girl. He had only rented this apartment for three months, and already three weeks had passed him by. Soon there would be only two months, then one, and then…..no international thank you for ridding the world of the assassin.

He looked back over at the mirror. It was kind of funny; the dark bags under his eyes looked a little like the mask he wore. Cheshire wears a mask, too, he thought to himself. The only difference between the two, or so it appeared in his mind in the wee hours of the morning, was that he was a hero and she a villain. Suddenly, the light bulb lit up.

If I, the hero, can't find the villainess, then maybe I should try turning the tables on Cheshire. What if I become a villain and gain her trust? I would have her caught before she has a clue what is going on.

But before that, he figured he should probably go get some sleep.

X

_The Next Morning_

Roy Harper woke up, for the first time in a week, in a way other than screaming from a nightmare. The bags under his eyes had disappeared slightly, but he still found his current sleep deprivation to be having an unsightly affect on his handsomeness. He would have to wear a mask to cover his flaws.

It really didn't take long for him to create a villain suit. In fact, all he needed to do was cut up a spare uniform, alter the mask a little, and add some evil accessories.

And that's when he realized that he didn't have a sewing machine or any type of way to reconnect the pieces of fabric. Luckily for him, and unfortunately for her, Roy could hear Jade moving about in her apartment. She hadn't left yet, which was really unusual. Usually she was gone before he woke up. Then again, if that alarm clock had the ability to shut up, Robin purposely disabled the snooze alarm before he had left, then he still wouldn't be up for another four more hours. And seeing as it was nine in the morning, well……

He knocked on Jade's door, and he could have sworn that he heard her groan. But probably not, because that would be a sign that she _wasn't _falling for him, and as previously mentioned, the only people capable of not falling for the red head hero were Titan women, who were all probably stronger than him, anyway.

Anyway, reluctantly, Jade opened the door.

"Oh, it's you," she pretended to be disappointed, "What did you need? Because if you didn't need anything, then go away."

"Wow," Roy replied, "Someone's grumpy today."

"Well maybe I wouldn't be grumpy if I could have actually slept at all this week."

"You had nightmares all week, too?" Roy asked, shocked.

"Yeah, terrifying ones. I kept having this dream that my next door neighbor was shouting in his sleep and getting up every morning at four, and then running his water as loud as it could get. Oh, wait, that was real." She suddenly felt bad.

"Oh, I woke you up? I'm so sorry. I just wanted to know if you had a…." but he could tell that she had stopped listening.

"You don't need to apologize to me," she half whispered before stepping out of the door, "No one needs to apologize to me." With that, she walked slowly but steadily down the hallway and down the stairs, apparently off to work or something.

That led Roy to search for a sewing machine himself.

X

Jade really did feel bad for yelling at him, and once again, she hadn't the slightest idea why. She supposed that she should apologize to him, but that was so….so…..so unlike her in every way. And besides, she could see the café from the corner she was standing on. Right now, all she needed to do was focus on her latest mission….whatever it was.

She slipped into a small store just a few stores down from where she was supposed to meet the man, and quietly entered the bathroom. She changed her clothes and put on some makeup, so that no one would be able to remember her face correctly should anyone in the café try to look for her again. And, last but certainly not least, she pulled out a short blonde wig. Getting all of her hair in the wig was something that she wasn't too sure she was capable of, but she managed somehow.

Once more, she slipped out of the store and walked to the café. She knew what all of her clients looked like, so she was able to spot the man quite easily. In fact, he didn't even look like he had put any effort into a disguise, so maybe what she thought he looked like really was the disguise to begin with.

She sat down at the table and held out her hand.

"Hi, my name is Rosalind. I was set up on this blind date, so I suppose that you're the man I'm looking for?" He was a longtime client, as mentioned before, so was used to her constant aliases and stories.

"Yes, I have been waiting for you. I wanted to know if you would consider a partnership," he stated.

"Why, it's pretty early in the relationship for that, don't you think?" she asked him.

"Not with me. No, I have an idea for you. You should take on an apprentice of some sorts. It would be quite a shame if your musical talents were wasted because you were in an accident, or an instrument broke," She wasn't all that certain what was going on here anymore. She was almost sure that he was telling her to get an apprentice to teach the ways of assassination in case she herself was killed, but all of the code was confusing her. Honestly, why did they always prefer to speak in public?

"Do you have anyone in mind?" She asked. "Is there really anyone who could use my skills for their own benefit?"

"Yes, I do have one in mind. My sources tell of a man who is being pushed to villainy. He would benefit greatly from what you have to teach him," he told her, "A man plagued by an infinite fire."

"So now you're a fortune teller, too?" she asked, "What is the future of my love life?"

He just smiled and replied, "You don't want me to answer that."

X

Roy had a little bit of trouble tracking down a sewing machine, but luckily the crazy man from two floors down had one he could borrow. In almost no time, the suit was made. Which meant that now he could begin working undercover and tracking down Cheshire. When night finally crept up, he adorned the suit and set off on his journey.

X

Jade was still trying to figure out what the man was talking about, when she realized she was late for an…uh…appointment of hers. Well, let's just say that the grim reaper was a little busy and needed a substitute, shall we?

It was late by the time the deed was done, and now all of her thoughts on Roy had disappeared. That wonderful sensation of killing had come back, and she stood, in uniform, on top of an abandoned house a few blocks away from the crime scene, relishing in her victory. She sensed something move behind her and turned, only to see a man in spandex.

X

There she is, he thought, as he crept up behind her. However, he must have stepped on a twig or something because she immediately turned, looking him up and down.

"You're Cheshire," he stated. She didn't move. "I was looking for you. My name is Arsenal, and I have a request for you I-" before he could finish the sentence, she had stood upright and cut him off.

"Arsen..al? Like arson, the fire, right?" she asked. He had never heard her voice before. It sounded….so unlike who she was.

"Uh…yes…anyway, I-"

"_A man plagued by an infinite fire."_

"Would you consider a partnership?"

**This was going to be easier than they thought.**

**X**

**There ya go! Everyone review, okay? Have a nice day, and for those of you who just went back to school, like myself, I hope it doesn't suck too badly. ^^**

**~XxNightfirexX**


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